Keep away from children

"Mami! Mami!" the little girl calls out when her mother returns home with bags of fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and yogurt. "You filled up the refrigerator! You filled up the cupboards!" The little one is an American citizen, enrolled in the federal food stamp program. Her mother, who entered the country illegally to work, now lives in the western suburbs and makes grocery runs that feel like calculated risks. The mother's friends urged her to drop out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. You could be arrested, they warned her, even though nothing like that has happened or is likely to happen to families enrolled in the program. You could be deported. They could take your kids away. "The heart of the president is really small," the mother said through a translator, cupping her hands tightly together to show just how small President Donald Trump's heart must be. "I don't feel very safe right now." But her husband is injured and can barely work, and their 2-year-old has … [Read more...] about Scaring immigrants away from the table this Thanksgiving

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who plans this week to open another front in his battle to keep e-cigarettes away from children, responded this way Sunday to news that severe federal regulations were also days off: “Better late than never.” But Emanuel, a major critic of President Donald Trump’s administration, said if the Food and Drug Administration under Trump’s watch does indeed announce strict new regulations on flavored e-cigarettes — which critics say kids and teens are drawn to — then he would clap his hands. “If they do what they say they’re going to do and restrict the e-cigarette products and protect our youth, I would applaud it,” Emanuel said during a phone chat Sunday. “I have no problem doing that.” Emanuel is quick to point out that he was among the first to take steps at the local level to regulate the industry — efforts that will continue this week. RELATED: Retailers told to post warnings about cigarette … [Read more...] about City attacking on several fronts in fight to keep e-cigarettes away from minors

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is urging marijuana users to take steps to prevent children from accidentally ingesting the drug, after a spike in reports to a poison hotline. Also, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is promoting a new state website that provides information on such topics as marijuana use during pregnancy, talking to children about drugs, and the ins and outs of legalized recreational cannabis in Maine.Last year, the Northern New England Poison Center received 16 calls from Maine on its poison control hotline for accidental marijuana ingestion by children 5 years old or younger. While a modest number, that is up from just two calls in 2016 and comes at a time when Maine legalized adult recreational marijuana use and personal possession of cannabis in private. DHHS officials suggested that accidental ingestion by children – as well as by pets and unsuspecting adults – often involves edible forms of the drug. “Edibles … [Read more...] about Maine DHHS urges pot users to keep drug away from children

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is urging marijuana users to take steps to prevent children from accidentally ingesting the drug, after a spike in reports to a poison hotline. Also, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is promoting a new state website that provides information on such topics as marijuana use during pregnancy, talking to children about drugs, and the ins and outs of legalized recreational cannabis in Maine. Last year, the Northern New England Poison Center received 16 calls from Maine on its poison control hotline for accidental marijuana ingestion by children 5 years old or younger. While a modest number, that is up from just two calls in 2016 and comes at a time when Maine legalized adult recreational marijuana use and personal possession of cannabis in private. DHHS officials suggested that accidental ingestion by children – as well as by pets and unsuspecting adults – often involves edible forms of the drug. … [Read more...] about DHHS urges pot users to keep drug away from children

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - As the summer temperatures rise across Florida, so do calls to poison control centers, according to a report from the Florida/ USVI Posion Information Center. Part of the reason for the increase is because children are out of school and more people are doing things outdoors, said Emily Jaynes Winograd, with the Clinical Toxicology Emergency Department at UF Health. The dangers not only include snake bites, spider bites, and other venomous insects. They also include things like bug spray and your swimming pool- which can put your child at risk. The poison control center staff want you to remember these summer safety tips. Pool Chemical Safety: Over the summer, more people are trying to cool off in a pool. This leads to a significant 71% increase in calls involving pool chemicals over the summer and with a peak in calls around June. “The thing we see most frequently is exposure to chlorine or shock treatments,” said Winograd. … [Read more...] about Summer Safety: Poisons to keep away from your family